


Birthday Boy

by TiffanyF



Category: House M.D.
Genre: M/M, Multi, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-02
Updated: 2013-06-14
Packaged: 2017-11-27 20:46:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/666325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiffanyF/pseuds/TiffanyF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's House's birthday and his lover gets him a very interesting present. H/C, W/C, H/W/C. I don't own any of these guys and don't make any money from my fics. I just have fun with them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Wilson had watched, puzzled as House and Chase grew closer in some ways and farther apart in others. He had known House long enough to know when his friend was interested in someone and when he wasn’t. Hell, he’d had the look directed at him more than once, but nothing had ever come of it. And yet he’d never seen House look at Chase with quite that expression. At least not that he had ever seen. The strangest look he’d ever seen pass between the doctor and the duckling had come the day before House’s birthday, when some stupid janitor forgot to put up a warning sign and House slipped on a wet floor. Cuddy had been put off by the loud and colorful swearing; and told House to take the next week off as sick leave until he could walk again. Wilson had seen a look pass between House and Chase, one that he couldn’t identify, but found curious.

And then he found an unsigned note on his desk. He sat and stared at it trying to figure out exactly what he was going to do.  
********************

House stirred when he heard the front door close. “Bobby?”

“It’s me, how do you feel?”

“I really, really need to use the bathroom.”

“My fault, I should’ve stayed home today.” Chase helped his lover out of bed and supported most of his weight as they moved slowly towards the bathroom. “But then I wouldn’t have gotten to study all the looks that Wilson kept throwing at me.”

“He’s still doing it?”

“Yep,” Chase grinned. “Are you good?”

“Yeah.” House braced his weight on the wall with a sigh. “He’s going to go crazy trying to figure out what it all means, you know. And you’ve never seen him without some sort of long coat covering his ass. He’s actually got a nice build. If he didn’t have such bad commitment issues, I might have tried something between wife one and wife two.”

Chase snaked a hand around House’s waist. “And now that you have nothing to lose?”

“I have everything to lose.” House leaned back against Chase and ran his hands along the strong legs behind him. “I could lose you.”

“Greg House being sappy?” Chase asked as they started back towards the bed.

“Yeah, I know, shoot me,” Hose replied. “I’m serious, Bobby. I thought I was in love before and look what happened.” He settled back on the bed with a sigh.

“So does this mean you don’t want your birthday present?” Chase asked as he started to strip.

“Should I be worried?”

“Just relax and let me take care of you and do all the work,” Chase said. “Your leg can’t take much strain today.”

“No massage,” House said quickly. “It still hurts too much.”

“I can tell by the fact that you can’t walk on your own,” Chase said. “Are you too sore for me to climb on and ride you? I stopped by one of the family restrooms at work and put in that toy you got me for Christmas. So I’m all stretched and slick for you. Are you up for something gentle?”

“You really did that?” House asked.

In reply Chase turned around so House could see the blue toy. “So are you up for it?”

“Oh yeah,” House replied, his mouth dry. “I still can’t believe you did that.” 

“You’re the one who said we needed some variety in our love life,” Chase grinned. He dug out the lube and a few condoms and dropped them on the bed before joining his lover.

“Bobby?”

“Trust me, Greg; you’re going to want those before we’re done.”

“What do you know that I don’t?”

Chase carefully lowered himself in place and leaned in. “About what?”

“What?” House focused on his lover’s lips as he ran his hands slowly up Chase’s thighs to his hips.

“Nothing,” Chase whispered as he closed the distance between them and sealed their lips together.  
********************

Wilson checked his watch for the third time before quietly using his key to let himself into House’s apartment. He still wasn’t sure why Chase had been so insistent on complete silence, but he was curious as well. Following the instructions he’d been given, Wilson left his shoes, socks, jacket and tie in the living room and crept along towards the bedroom. He froze at the sound of a deep moan, a sound Wilson hadn’t heard in person in as long as he could remember. He bit his lip in a moment of indecision, but finally started forward again.

The picture that confronted him as he looked in the bedroom made him freeze in place. House was lying flat on his back, naked, head thrown back, eyes closed. Chase was straddling House’s hips, hands braced on House’s bare chest as he slowly lifted up and dropped back down again. It took Wilson a moment to realize exactly what he was seeing: House was erect and Chase was riding him.

He didn’t know how Chase found out that Wilson had a secret fetish about men together, but as he grew hard, Wilson found that he really didn’t care. He reached down and started rubbing his erection through his gray suit pants, brown eyes glued to the live show on the bed in front of him.  
********************

A noise filtered through to House’s lust-fogged mind. He managed to open an eye and turned his head towards the door; and Chase’s cryptic comment about needing condoms suddenly made sense. Wilson was standing there staring at House and Chase – and it was pretty obvious he was enjoying the show. House gripped Chase’s hips and stopped him.

“What?” Chase panted.

“We have company,” House said.

“Good.” Chase leaned down and nipped at House’s ear. “Why don’t you get him to strip and join us? I know how much you want this.”

“You’re crazy,” House whispered in reply. He looked back over at Wilson. “Why don’t you strip, Jimmy? You’ll be more comfortable.”

Chase pushed up and slid back down House’s erection, pulling a moan from his lover and an almost matching moan from Wilson. He grinned and started moving again, slowly, hoping to give Wilson enough time to join them.  
********************

Wilson couldn’t believe it when he was pinned by an intense blue gaze and then heard House’s gravely voice tell him to strip. “Seriously?”

“Yeah,” House panted. “And put on a condom.”

“Seriously?”

“Are you a broken record?” House asked as he tried to thrust up into his lover’s body. “If you get off on watching, then watch. Otherwise get your naked ass over here.”

He still wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, or how long House had been sleeping with one of his doctors, but Wilson knew this was a chance to try out some of the things he had only risked dreaming about. Dropping the rest of his clothes on the floor, Wilson walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed on. He saw several foil packages on the pillow next to him, grabbed one and opened it.

“Get up here,” House growled.

“He wants to suck you,” Chase moaned. “You’re in for a treat.”

“Seriously?”

House rolled his eyes. He bit back the comment that maybe it wasn’t commitment issues that broke up Wilson’s marriages, but the fact that he lost all brain function when he was aroused.

Chase stiffened suddenly and came, slumping down on his lover, being careful to avoid jarring his bad leg. House reached down and ran a hand through Chase’s sweaty hair. Chase smiled up at him. “I thought you were going to suck Wilson,” Chase said.

“I was, but you kind of caught my attention,” House said. “Kiss him, Bobby.”

Wilson’s eyes went wide as Chase shifted off House, who was still hard, and shuffled forward until he could seal his lips over Wilson’s. House leaned in and took the head of Wilson’s erection into his mouth and started sucking it gently. He really didn’t like the way the latex tasted, but agreed with Bobby that they needed to be careful. He kept his eyes fixed on his lover and that was the only reason House caught the slight movement that Chase made to pick up the lube. House grinned and hummed at the same time, trying to distract Wilson.

It didn’t work. As Chase’s finger slid into his body, Wilson pulled away from both of them, eyes wide. “What the hell?”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Chase said. “But I got the impression you wanted to try everything, learn what it all felt like so you wouldn’t have to hide any more.”

“How long have you been thinking about this, Jimmy?” House asked. He reached out and pulled Wilson down next to him. “How long have you wanted to know what it feels like to have a hard cock slide into your ass, hitting your prostate until you scream? Or slide into another man’s ass yourself. Have you tried it with Julie yet?”

“House,” Wilson said trying to sit up.

“Maybe he does only want to watch,” Chase said.

“No he doesn’t,” House said. “He’s just too scared to admit he wants more, wants something different.” He pulled back and reached for the lube. “I guess you’ll just have to finish me off, Bobby.”

Chase licked his lips and grinned. “Do you want back inside me, Greg? Do you want me on my stomach?”

“Probably be easier,” House said. He and Chase rolled – almost knocking Wilson off the bed – and House slid back into his young lover’s body. Movement wasn’t easy for him, which was why Chase was usually the one in control, but House needed to be the one to set the rhythm, get the right amount of friction on his erection so he could climax.

Wilson watched House and Chase as House began thrusting and wondered what the hell had just happened. He’d been dreaming, fantasizing and wondering what it would feel like to be with another man – to be with Gregory House – and he had freaked the instant Chase slid a finger into his ass. Maybe it was just the visuals that got him excited. Maybe Wilson only wanted to watch and fantasize about it. And House’s comment about Julie was a slap in the face. Just because they were having issues wasn’t any reason to think that things were going bad. Vaguely Wilson wondered if it was cheating if he was the one penetrated and realized he was being an idiot. Mainly because he was missing the show on the bed next to him. Wilson slicked his hand with lube and wrapped it around his erection as he focused back on House.

House was stretched out along Chase’s body, good leg providing the leverage as he thrust into Chase while he nipped and sucked at the younger man’s shoulder blades and lower neck. He could feel Wilson’s gaze burning into them and realized that it changed the whole flavor, the whole feel of the night. As much as he loved Chase, House really wanted to be inside Wilson at least once. He knew that Wilson would be tight and he wanted to feel that. But he also knew that he would never force his friend into anything he wasn’t ready for – in the bedroom at any rate.

“Are you getting hard for me again, Bobby?” House panted as he thrust forward sharply. “Can you feel Jimmy’s eyes on us? Does someone watching turn you on? Do you want to try this in my office with the blinds only half closed so anyone could see you riding my cock?”

Chase moaned and started pushing back a little and the forward again, rubbing against the sheets.

“Can you feel how close I am, Bobby? It won’t take much to push me over the edge and flood you with my come. Come on, Bobby, I need you to clamp down on me. Squeeze my cock with your…” He broke off with a cry as his lover did what he said. House came, his body shaking as he thrust a few more times and collapsed forward. “I love you,” House whispered as he kissed Chase’s neck.

House wasn’t the only one that was close to the edge. Wilson’s eyes had closed as he worked his erection, straining for release. He screamed as his hand was batted away and House’s long fingers wrapped around him. Wilson fell forward, his hands only just holding him up as his best friend worked him with a more expert touch than he’d ever felt before. As a finger slid over the tip at the same time the hand twisted for the down stroke, Wilson fell apart into the most intense climax he could remember.


	2. Chapter 2

Wilson came to and wondered exactly what had happened. He had been cleaned up and was under the covers, he was wearing his boxers and House was looking down at him.

“Time to talk,” House said. “I don’t share my toys, Jimmy.”

“Is that all Chase is to you?”

“No, he’s my life,” House replied. “But the plug he was wearing all day is a toy, of which we have several. And I don’t share.”

“Why am I here, House?”

“Because Bobby saw something between us and wanted to give us a chance to explore it,” House replied. “He knows I’m never going to leave him, so he feels safe letting me do this.”

“Do what?”

“This.” House leaned down and kissed Wilson softly. He kept it light, giving the other man the chance to pull back. Wilson didn’t. He moaned in his throat and pressed forward, letting his tongue slip out to lick at House’s lips. House grinned and opened his mouth to the questing tongue, letting Wilson take brief control of the kiss before he rolled them as best he could and took total control. Wilson’s moans grew more continuous as House’s tongue thrust and teased at the roof of his mouth.

“How long?” House panted when they broke apart for air.

“What?”

“How long have you been lusting after me?” House asked. “I can’t blame you, but I am curious.”

Wilson rolled his eyes. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I know,” House grinned. He leaned back in and started nipping gently along Wilson’s jaw. “I’m willing to teach you, Jimmy, but I need to know if you’re going to freak out on me again.”

“I don’t know,” Wilson said. He tilted his head back and House took the invitation to move down to Wilson’s neck. “Maybe if we go slow and you tell me what you’re going to do before you actually do it.”

“Just me or do you want both of us?” House asked with a lick back up to Wilson’s mouth. He pressed their lips together again and then lapped his way back into Wilson’s mouth.

“If you keep that up I won’t be able to think,” Wilson gasped.

“Yeah, I noticed,” House said. “Sometimes that’s not a bad thing. Just relax and enjoy.”

“Where’s Chase?” Wilson asked.

“I’m here,” Chase said from a chair at the foot of the bed. “But I won’t join you until you ask.”

“Why?” Wilson asked. He pushed House back and sat up. Why did you invite me over tonight while you were together? Why am I the one in bed with your lover?”

Chase and House looked at each other. “We’re not restraining you, Jimmy,” House said. “Those are the advanced lessons.”

Chase snickered and leaned back in his chair. “I know Greg is not going to leave me,” he said. “But I also know that the two of you have been dancing around each other for far too long and I decided to do something about it.”

“This could have gone horribly wrong,” Wilson objected weakly. House had taken the opportunity to lean in and latch onto one of Wilson’s nipples. “It still could. We all work together.”

“Does it seem like Greg is going to treat us any differently than he does now?” Chase asked. “I think Greg was right, I think you’re just afraid to relax and enjoy this.”

“Do you blame me?” Wilson reached down and pushed House’s head away. “House, you’re not helping me think here.”

“You’re not supposed to be thinking here,” House replied. “You’re supposed to be getting seduced. What does a man have to do to get some action around here?”

“Bite me,” Wilson snapped. “I’m married, House…” He broke off with a cry and fell back onto the pillows.

“You asked,” House said. He leaned in and started sucking on the bite mark he’d made over Wilson’s ribs. Wilson started moaning, his hands tangled in House’s hair, holding him in place.

“Looks like you found the magic touch,” Chase commented.

“I knew there had to be something,” House muttered between licks up Wilson’s ribs and breastbone to his right nipple. He sucked it back into his mouth, only adding in teeth this time. Wilson’s hands clenched as House hummed, his tongue flicking the nipple back and forth. His intense blue eyes were focused on Wilson’s face, watching as the tension lines vanished and scared brown eyes closed. House nipped his way across the firm chest and latched onto the other nipple.

Chase was watching too, only he was watching for any signs of panic because he knew that House was too determined to make the evening end his way, and he wanted to be able to stop his lover if Wilson started having a panic attack. But the younger man started relaxing as he saw that the pair on the bed was becoming lost in each other. Who would’ve thought that Wilson would like being bitten? Chase wondered if anyone had ever explored that particular kink with the man before, and how Wilson would explain away the marks House was leaving on him.

“Greg,” Wilson muttered.

“Jimmy.”

“What are you doing?”

“That should be pretty obvious,” House murmured. He pressed a kiss over Wilson’s heart and propped himself up on his elbow. “Tell me what you want, Jimmy. I’m not into forcing people, no matter what the rumor mills happen to say.”

“I don’t know,” Wilson said. “I don’t. I’ve had so many thoughts and fantasies about this moment and now that I’m here, I’m completely frozen. I don’t know what I should do.”

“Trust me to take care of you,” House said. “But you’re still free to walk out at any time, Jimmy. We can forget this ever happened.”

“Trust,” Wilson snorted. “House, you’re a pathological liar who likes to manipulate people.”

House looked down at Wilson for a moment and then swung out of bed, promptly collapsing to the floor. “Leave me alone,” he snarled at Chase. He found his jeans and struggled into them and slithered over to the dresser and pulled out a sweatshirt. House then grabbed his cane and managed, somehow, to get to his feet and limp slowly out of the room, leaning heavily on the wall for support.

Chase winced as he heard the front door open and slam shut. “Way to go,” he said. “I think you just made him close off from everyone for a while, and he can hardly walk.”

“What’d I say?” Wilson asked.

“Greg was giving you an option to save your friendship if you didn’t want to go any further and you insulted him,” Chase replied as he slipped on his own pants and sweatshirt. “I thought you were a better man than that, Dr. Wilson, but maybe I was wrong. I’d get dressed if I was you.”

“But I call him that all the time,” Wilson protested.

“Yeah, when he’s at work and trying to make things go his way,” Chase said. “He was concerned about you and what you were going through. Guess you were just too self-absorbed to see it.”

Wilson blinked as the younger doctor stormed out of the room and he heard the door shut a second time. He still wasn’t sure what had happened. He sighed and looked around for his clothes. It looked like the evening was over.


	3. Chapter 3

Chase almost tripped over House as he went out the main door to the street. “Greg,” he said, “I thought you’d have taken off.”

“I wanted to, but my leg gave out,” House replied bitterly.

“Here.” Chase took off his jacket and bundled it up so his lover could put it under his leg. “You don’t need to make the pain any worse, you know. You don’t have to be the one punishing yourself.”

“Is that really all he sees me as, Bobby? Is that all I am to him?”

“Of course not,” Chase said. “Greg, you’ve got to remember that Wilson is used to seeing behind the words, behind your mask, so he was probably reading too much into the words you were saying.”

House snorted. “Yeah, it’s really easy to read into my being concerned about our friendship, isn’t it,” he said. “Wilson has been having problems with Julie and I wanted him to have an out so he wouldn’t have to be embarrassed about all this. He’s never been as good at compartmentalization as I have.”

“Come back inside?” Chase asked.

“No,” House replied. “I need the air, Bobby.”

“Want me to stay?”

“If you want.”

The lovers fell silent. House bounced his cane against the step a few times. “Why did you take a chance with me, Bobby?” he finally asked. “What let you see behind my attitude at work?”

“What makes you think I did?” Chase teased. “Greg, you’re no different here at home than you are at work and that’s one thing I love about you. You’re consistent. And you never play favorites, no matter what’s going on. You treat us all like slaves, but it works. I don’t know why it does, but it works. And I’d never ask you to change.”

“So you really do love me for my stone heart and bitter manner?”

“Yeah,” Chase said. “But also because I know that you really do care about helping people, even if you’ll deny it to the day you die. I know that if you could cure a person without ever having to see them, you’d do it and do it well. The disease is what speaks to you, not the patient. You’re unique that way, and others just don’t seem to be able to understand it.”

“What about him?” House asked.

“Until ten minutes ago I thought that Dr. Wilson understood you better than I do,” Chase replied. “He seemed to have mastered the art of understanding what you’re implying rather than what you’re saying. But he just totally destroyed my belief in that. I’m sorry your birthday turned out to be such a flop.”

The left side of House’s mouth lifted in a grin. “Birthdays are supposed to be rotten,” he said. “So the world makes it around the sun one more time. Who cares?”

“I do,” Chase said.

“Yeah, I know. I didn’t mean to snap at you in there.”

“I know you didn’t,” Chase said. He leaned against his lover. “I was just worried you’d hurt your leg again.”

“I did,” House sighed.

“Greg.”

“What, I have the rest of the week off; I can spend the time in bed. I just, I needed to get out of there,” House said. “I needed to be able to get on my bike and run, Bobby. But I couldn’t. Hell, I can’t even stand up on my own. I made it this far and collapsed.”

“Sitting on the stoop isn’t going to help any,” Chase said. “Come on, let’s get you back inside and I’ll cook you dinner.”

House sighed. “I suppose, but I want Wilson gone as soon as possible.”

“I’ll kick him out as soon as you’re settled,” Chase grinned. He stood and reached down for his lover. “I know you hate this, but your leg can’t take any more today.”

“I know.”  
********************

Wilson was hunting around for his shoes when the front door opened and Chase came in supporting House. He moved forward out of instinct, but stopped short when Chase glared at him. “Here you go, Greg,” Chase said softly. “Get settled and I’ll go grab your pills.”

“I love you, Bobby,” House said softly. He reached up and caressed his lover’s face softly.

“Love you too,” Chase said. “Happy birthday.”

House snorted and settled onto the couch. He turned his back on Wilson and closed his eyes. Wilson’s heart sank at Chase’s words. He’d managed to forget that it was his friend’s birthday. “House.”

“Out,” House said flatly.

“House, we need to talk,” Wilson said.

“No, we don’t,” House replied just as flatly. “Bobby.”

“I’m coming,” Chase said. He came out of the bedroom and handed his lover two white pills. “Tell me if your leg doesn’t get back to the normal pain level, Greg. I need to know if I have to call Cuddy and tell her you hurt yourself again when you fell getting out of bed.”

“Like she’d care.”

“House,” Chase said.

“Fine, call her and tell her I was stupid and tried to seduce my so-called best friend and fell out of bed when he rejected me,” House said. “I’m sure that’ll just make her week.”

“I wasn’t going to go into that much detail,” Chase said with a sigh. “You really need to take the pills and get some rest.”

“Bobby,” House sighed.

“I know it’s just the pain talking,” Chase said. “Now, I think I made a promise. Wilson, you need to leave. Now.”

“But…”

“I think you’ve said all you need to say,” Chase said firmly. “I’ll see you at work in a couple of days. Good night.”

Wilson’s head dropped and he caught sight of his shoes by the door. “I’m sorry, House,” he said softly. “I’m so sorry.”

House waited until he was sure the other man was gone. “Do you think he meant it?”

“Probably,” Chase said. “But I’m not sure he was just apologizing for tonight. I think there was something else in there.”

“It makes me wonder what else he thinks he’s done to me.”

“The last thing you need is a new puzzle,” Chase grinned. “You rest while I cook dinner and then we’ll talk about your present.”

House twisted carefully around and looked at his lover. “What present?”


	4. Chapter 4

House fell asleep while Chase was making dinner, which his younger lover considered a good sign as it meant the pain in his leg had dropped to a more manageable level. He got out both the heating pad and a blanket, placing the first carefully on House’s bad leg and the second over him completely. Then he went back into the kitchen to finish up dinner. He’d made House’s favorites and knew that they would keep while his lover slept, all being easy to reheat, and started in on the simple no-bake cake he’d found while searching the internet one day. Chase knew that House was only humoring him, that his surly lover really didn’t care about his birthday, but put up with the celebration because he could see how important it was to Chase. It really hurt that Wilson had been such a jerk earlier as that would have been the best present Chase could have given his lover. But he had some other things stashed away that he knew House would love, even if he never said anything.

“Bobby.”

“Hey, I thought you’d sleep longer,” Chase said peeking out into the living room. “Are you hungry?”

“Yeah.”

“Prop yourself up and I’ll bring you something,” Chase grinned. He moved to the oven and pulled out the plates he’d just put in there. He set House’s on a tray, added a beer and the salad from the fridge and carried it out. House had pushed up into a sitting position with his leg extended on the sofa, propped up with a cushion, leaving enough room for Chase to sit at the other end, if he was careful. “Here you go, Greg. There’s dessert too.”

“You didn’t have to go through all this trouble, we could’ve just ordered something,” House said taking the tray. “It would’ve given us more time together.”

“It gave me something to do while you napped,” Chase grinned. “You obviously needed to sleep, Greg. I’ll be right back, let me grab my plate.”

House started in on the pasta dish and bit back a moan. He loved it when Chase cooked for him, not that he would ever admit that to his young lover, but he had a feeling that Chase knew it anyway. “So what else do you have planned out?” he asked when Chase was back and settled on the sofa.

“You’ll just have to be surprised, won’t you?” Chase asked with a smile. “Although I will admit that having Wilson here was a main part of the evening. I am sorry that it turned out the way it did, Greg. I’ll talk with him tomorrow and see what’s going on with him.”

“I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t shown back up looking all sad and remorseful asking to be forgiven,” House snorted. “That’s usually what happens.”

“You guys fight often?”

“You know the answer to that, Bobby. Wilson and I never see eye to eye on anything and it’s only been getting worse,” House said. “This might have just been the final straw and the friendship is over. If it turns out that he doesn’t actually know me well enough to trust me, then how can I continue to see him as my friend?”

Chase sighed. “You probably shouldn’t give up that easily,” he said. “For all we know, Wilson had a knee-jerk reaction to a new situation and panicked. You know as well as I do that people say things under duress that they normally wouldn’t say.” He held up his hand. “I’m not defending him, Greg. I just don’t want to see you quit so easily. Things might get better.”

“And now that he knows the truth about us, they might get worse too,” House said. “He could tell Cuddy all about what he knows.”

“He’d have to admit how he knows about us, Greg, and I seriously doubt Cuddy will want to know that Wilson tried to join us in a threesome and freaked out after you sucked him dry and then offered to teach him exactly what he wanted to know.”

“You’ve been hanging around me too much. That sounded exactly like something that I would say,” House grinned. “I knew I would be a good influence on you, Bobby.”

“That’s debatable,” Chase said. “Eat your salad.”

“Yes, mom.”

“Be good or you won’t get your present, Greg.”

“I’m still curious about that. How did you manage to hide something from me when we share the same space,” House said. “I know nothing has been moved.”

“You didn’t go snooping through the closets like a kid, did you?” Chase asked. “Of course you did. It’s a good thing I’m better at hiding presents than you are at finding them. Then again, I did hide it in the last place you’d look too.”

“Bobby.”

Chase grinned and put his plate on the coffee table. “Okay, okay,” he said. “I’ll be right back.” He vanished down the hall towards the bedroom and his dresser. He pulled it away from the wall and reached behind it. Still safe on the small shelf he’d installed just after moving in, was House’s present.

“I can hear you moving furniture in there,” House called.

“But you don’t know which piece it is,” Chase replied. He carried the package back out into the living room and handed it to his lover.

“What is it?”

“You can’t tell from the weight?”

House let the package rest in his hands for a moment and then grinned. “You got me the guitar I’ve been wanting,” he said ripping the paper off. “Bobby, you really shouldn’t have.” 

“Of course I should. It’s your birthday, and it’s for you,” Chase said. He sat down and waited while his lover tuned the guitar. “Are you going to play for me?”

“Later,” House said, but he did strum a few chords happily. “Come here.”

Chase moved the new guitar to a safe place and sat down next to House’s hip. He leaned in and kissed his lover gently, letting House set the pace for their activities. He was surprised when the kiss was kept light, teasing and yet sensual at the same time. “Do you want to go back to bed?” Chase asked when they broke apart.

“No, but I’d probably better,” House replied. “My leg is starting to hurt again.”

“Did the pills help earlier?”

“Enough that I could sleep,” House said. “I’m sure I’ll be okay by the end of the week and can go back to work in a limited capacity, no matter what Cuddy says.”

“She might have something to say if you fall and start swearing like that again,” Chase pointed out. He helped his lover off the sofa and down the hall to their bedroom. “Get settled and I’ll go get us some cake.”

House hid the smile until his lover was out of the room. He was starting to feel spoiled like he never had before on his birthday, not even when he was a kid. His father’s opinion of birthdays was one of the reasons House saw no reason to celebrate each year, or even really mark the day as special. He was just happy to still be alive each morning when he heard the alarm go off and figured that was enough. But Chase saw it all so differently, even with the rough childhood he’d had, and House just couldn’t bring himself to try and stop his young lover’s plans. Maybe it meant he was getting sappy, but House loved to see Chase happy. That alone meant more to him than anything else.

“You do know that you’re spoiling me,” House said when Chase walked back into their room, two bowls in his hand.

“I am, but you love it just the same,” Chase agreed easily. He handed the bowls to House and climbed up onto their bed. “Do you want me to feed you?”

“Don’t push it,” House growled.

“The rest of the evening is yours, Greg; how do you want to spend it?”

“With you in here,” House said. “Beyond that I really don’t care. We could just sleep and I’d be happy.”

“Let’s see how your leg is doing first,” Chase smiled. “Especially after you more or less fell out of bed earlier tonight. Maybe sleeping is what you need.”

“You really are a doctor, aren’t you?” House said. “Do you want to give me a physical to make sure everything is working properly?”

Chase laughed. “I’m fairly sure that everything is in full working order, Greg,” he said. “But I’ll be more than happy to check you out if that’s really what you want. I can start at your head and work my way down to your toes, bypassing your upper thigh, of course. I don’t think your leg is ready for either of us to touch it just yet.”

“You’re right,” House agreed. “But the rest of me is more than ready to play doctor with my favorite wombat.”

“Then I’ll have to see what I can do for you,” Chase said.


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm not sure if I want to go to work today or not," Chase said as he tied his favorite blue tie.

House snorted from the bed and turned the page in the magazine he was reading. "I'm sure that Wilson will show how much of a professional he is and avoid you like the plague," he said. "Bobby, will you stop by the library on the way home and get me some books to read? I'm going to go crazy by the end of the week if I don't have something to keep my mind busy."

"Are you sure you want to spend the day in here rather than in the living room on the sofa?" Chase asked. He pulled on his jacket and moved to sit on his side of the bed. "You could catch up on your favorite programs."

"It's easier to hide back here," House said. "I'm not entirely convinced that Wilson isn't going to stop by before you get home tonight and I can hide under the blankets back here."

"So if I come home and find two lumps in bed, I shouldn't worry then."

"That ship has sailed," House sighed. "Wilson can find some other guy to teach him about gay sex. Would I have liked it, oh hell yeah, but if he doesn't know me after all this time, then I'm not going to let him use me."

"I understand," Chase said. "I'd really hoped the evening was going to go better for you last night."

"I told you, birthdays are supposed to be rotten. Yesterday was probably the least horrible day I've had."

Chase grinned, interpreting what his lover was saying with ease. "I'm glad you liked it," he said. "Okay, I'm off unless you need something."

"I'll manage for the day," House said. "See you tonight."

"Call me if you need something," Chase said. He kissed his lover softly.  
***

House planned to nap for most of the day. His leg kept him up for most of the night, letting him know how unhappy it was with him and sleeping was the easiest way to pass the time he was stuck in bed. He doubted that he'd be able to sleep for more than half an hour at a time, but he'd had worse pain and slept through it. Maybe he would get lucky and be able to get more sleep than he thought he would.

The phone waking him up made him cranky though. He'd finally found the perfect position to sleep in and had managed a little over an hour when the phone jarred him, causing him to jump, which in turn jarred his leg and ruined everything the past hour had done for him. "What?"

"House, what's the meaning of this report to the hospital directors?" Cuddy demanded.

"It should be obvious," House replied, reaching for the pill bottle on the bedside table. "The lack of a sign warning of a wet floor caused an accident which injured an employee of the hospital. A crippled one at that. You should be glad it was me that fell there and not a patient or visitor to the hospital, Cuddy. Think how bad a lawsuit would look compared to a report on unsafe working conditions."

"The janitor just forgot the sign, House," Cuddy said. "He said he was on his way to put it up when you fell."

"Oh, then that makes everything okay then, doesn't it?" House asked. "He had good intentions so my injury isn't serious. The report stands, Cuddy. You're always telling me to think about the patients at the hospital and then you lecture me when I do. You need to make up your mind because I can't always be guessing what whim you want satisfied on any given day."

"House, I took care of the problem. You didn't need to fill out an official report."

"You suspended the man for a day, Cuddy. I'm out for a week, if not longer and can't walk on my own," House said. "I'm in enough pain that I'm not sleeping properly and probably did more damage to my leg than anyone realized. That idiot should have been fired for forgetting that sign, not suspended for one day, even if it is without pay."

"Fine, but I'm remembering this the next time you pull one of your stupid stunts," Cuddy said.

"Those stupid stunts, as you call them, save lives," House said. "Am I the only one smart enough to realize this?"

"You would be amazed at how often I have to defend those stunts to patients' relatives," Cuddy said.

House sighed. "Intimidation from my boss," he said. "Just what I needed to make my day complete. Do whatever the hell you want to, Cuddy, but I emailed a copy of that report to the head of the board of directors. This conversation makes me think that maybe I do need to explore a few other options."

"What are you talking about now?"

"I guess you'll find out," House snapped and slammed the phone down on the bedside table once before hitting the off button. It wasn't as nice as being able to hang up an old landline, but the noise would still be jarring if Cuddy was holding the phone up next to her ear.

Maybe it was possible there was a new virus in the hospital causing stupidity in the employees. House would have to try and come up with a diagnostic method to test for it. He wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep any time in the near future.


	6. Chapter 6

Chase was silent as he let himself into the apartment. He didn't know if House was awake or not, but didn't want to wake him up if he had managed to get to sleep. He hung up his coat and bag, left his shoes well out of the way and started back towards the bedroom to check on his lover. "Hey."

"Hey," House said, not looking up from the laptop.

"I know I left that in the living room," Chase said. "How'd it get back here?"

"I slid," House said. "Carefully and didn't jar anything."

"All right, no argument, but what's so important that you needed to look at the computer immediately?"

House glanced up. "Cuddy called today."

"That couldn't have been good," Chase said. He joined his lover on the bed and looked at the screen. "London?"

"Turns out that Cuddy's mad at me for filing a report on my fall," House said. "Something about her taking care of the problem and I shouldn't have turned in the accident report."

"I wish I could say you're kidding, but you're not kidding, are you?"

"Nope, so I got to thinking about it and wondered if there were any openings in research," House said. "In or near a hospital where you would be able to find work, of course, but somewhere away from here."

"Greg, how much of this is because of Wilson?" Chase asked.

"None of it," House replied. "His freak-outs are his own problem, not mine. I'm just getting tired of catering to Cuddy's every demand. I don't know, Bobby, I think it's been building for a while now and this just brought everything back with a vengeance."

"All right, so where have you been looking?" Chase looked at the laptop again. "I mean, I'm all for London, but a warmer country might help your leg feel better in the long run. What about Italy or France?"

"I looked and there are places there," House said. "Actually, there's a research institute in France that has been trying to get me to come work for them for the past five years and I've always turned them down. I should get in touch and see if they're still interested in me."

Chase grinned. "I would imagine hospitals would fight over you if they found out you're on the market," he said. "My French is rusty, but I'm sure I'd pick it up again pretty fast. What would I have to do to be able to practice medicine overseas?"

"Pass their country's tests and certify, I think," House said. "We can look into it. I think, Bobby, if you're with me on this, I'm going to put out word that I'm available for research and looking for a new position. Just to see who bites."

"I'm all for an adventure," Chase grinned. "Anything else fun happen today?"

"No, just this. No sign of Wilson at all." House pulled up a web page and started typing. "Once I submit my comment here, word will spread through the medical world. It's possible no one wants me, that my reputation has been stained by Cuddy and the others, but it's worth a try. I'm also mentioning you, so they know that there has to be a place for you to practice."

"Sounds like an adventure," Chase said. "You hungry?"

"I could eat."

"Pizza?"

"Yeah, sounds good," House said, still typing.


	7. Chapter 7

Wilson was checking his email when he saw one from a message board most doctors he knew followed to find out who was working where and who was looking for a new position. He clicked on the link to see what was new that week and froze when he saw one of the postings. Wilson couldn't believe what he was seeing, but he printed it out and went to find Cuddy.  
***

"Did you see this?" he asked when he caught up to Cuddy near the clinic.

"What is it?" She took the paper and skimmed it. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. He was really serious about this?"

"Lisa, what's going on?" Wilson asked. "Why would House post that both he and Chase are available to new positions?"

"Come on, let's talk in my office," Cuddy replied with a sigh. "I'm surprised you didn't know about this, James. You always seem to know what House is doing before he does it."

Wilson sighed. "I sort of screwed up on his birthday and he isn't talking to me right now," he said, sinking into one of the chairs. "Lisa, you do know that there's a research institute in the south of France that has been trying to steal House away for the past five years now, don't you?"

"No, I didn't," she said. "Why hasn't he taken it?"

"He's been happy here, or as happy as he ever is, so he didn't see a reason to leave, I guess," Wilson said. "It sounded like you knew something. What's going on?"

"House filed a report on his fall with the board of directors," Cuddy said. "I called him yesterday to tell him he didn't need to do that, that I'd taken care of the problem and he said he might have to start considering other options. I don't know, I thought he was acting up, causing a bigger fuss than was necessary, but he said he can't walk on his own right now. I didn't know that part."

"It's true, he really messed up his leg with that fall," Wilson said. "I was with him when he went down and it wasn't pretty. Greg knows how to fall, hell he should, he's had enough practice over the years, and he didn't have a chance to do anything before he hit the ground. I think he even twisted on the way down. Honestly, you're lucky he hasn't tried for a lawsuit against the hospital for unsafe working conditions."

Cuddy leaned back in her chair and sighed. "It's just so hard to know when he's telling the truth and when he's exaggerating what happened to him to try and get time off," she said. "I gave him the week to be able to walk again because it was easier than arguing with him."

"He had every right to file a complaint with the board," Wilson said. "There's been times in the past when I've expected him to, but he's just shrugged off whatever happened and kept going. Maybe this was one time too many. He wouldn't have posted on this message board unless he was serious about leaving, Lisa. I think it's very possible that we've lost him, and even with as many problems as House causes, he's one of the reasons this hospital does as well as it does."

"You don't think he'll accept an apology?"

"Look at the message he posted. There has to be a hospital near to wherever he goes for Chase to be able to work," Wilson said. "This isn't a spur-of-the-moment anger post. This has the marks of something that he's been thinking about for a while and something happened to push him over the edge."

"Is Chase at work today?" Cuddy asked.

"I think I saw him doing some paperwork in the conference room."

"I'll talk with him," Cuddy said. "Maybe he can talk House out of this."  
***

"Don't even, Cuddy," Chase said when he caught sight of the other doctor in the doorway. "It won't work."

"What won't work?" she asked.

"You're here to talk me into staying here and want me to convince Greg that he's making a mistake leaving just so you don't have to feel guilty or realize that you made a mistake in handling your doctors," Chase said. 

Cuddy leaned against the doorway. "What would I have to do to convince House that he belongs here?"

"Rewrite time," Chase said. He gathered up his forms. "If you'll excuse me, I'm needed in the lab."


	8. Chapter 8

"Cuddy came to see me today," Chase said as he shut the door to the apartment behind him.

House looked up from the printouts he was reviewing. "Let me guess, it's all a big mistake, you shouldn't leave, I'm too valuable to the hospital," he said.

"I didn't let her get that far," Chase admitted. He sat down next to his lover carefully and looked at the stack of papers. "What's all this?"

"Hospitals that want us," House said with a smile. "Plus I talked to one of the guys at the institute in France and they are still very interested in getting me on their staff, so all we have to do now is decide where we want to go, give Cuddy two weeks' notice and have our things shipped to our new home."

"You make it sound so easy," Chase said. "All right, let me see, although I have to say, if the institute in France is in the southern part, I think we should go there, if only for the warmth. I think it'll help your leg feel better on a daily basis."

"You just want to go to one of the nude beaches," House said.

"No, that's you," Chase replied. "I can't believe all these people want us, well, want you. It's amazing. Why haven't you left before this?"

"I don't know, I guess I've just got comfortable here and it took the fall to jar me out of the apathy I've been feeling," House sighed. "Plus, moving alone would be a little much for me."

"We can hire a crew to move us, you know," Chase said. "Okay, we're not going to Australia, so just toss any messages from there. I've got my reasons for leaving and I don't want to go back."

House nodded. "I wanted to give you the option," he said.

"Are all of these diagnostic positions for you?"

"Most of them are, a few are research and there's a couple that would put me on a board for the state," House said. "I put them in only so you would have the chance if you wanted to go to that area. Personally, I'm more for research at this point. Give me a few years of not having to deal directly with people."

Chase started to shift the papers into stacks. "Okay, so these are the absolute no's right now," he said, folding them in half. "I included anywhere up north or where it'll be cold. I want you in some heat for a while. If the pain levels are the same then we can try something else, but I want to try a change in environment first."

"Fair enough," House said. "Do you have a preference for part of the country or part of the world?"

"Let me read through and see what I think, but honestly, I'm thinking France," Chase said. "Not just because it's the first place you mentioned, but they want you badly enough to keep after you for years. It'll be warmer and there are several hospitals in here that say they'd hire me, so I have a choice on where I want to work."

"The beaches are nice too," House grinned.

"While I'm doing this, you could start looking at housing, you know."

"Okay." House leaned over and kissed his lover's cheek. "House or apartment?"

"If we can find a house that doesn't have stairs and is big enough for the two of us, then yes, house. I've always wanted my own house."

"Is that a bad pun?"

Chase grinned. "Nope."


	9. Chapter 9

Cuddy looked up when Chase wheeled House into her office. "What's wrong now?" she asked.

"I'm here for tests," House said. "I thought we'd go ahead and bring these in with us. Official notification of both of us leaving, Cuddy. Might as well spread the news, I'm sure you'll have employees dancing in the halls when they find out."

"House, don't you think this is a little extreme?" she asked, not even looking down at the two letters Chase put on her desk.

"No, I think this is a positive career move," House replied. "Of course, given that I haven't taken a vacation or sick leave in the past three years, I'm going to have these tests done today and then I'm not coming back. Not being able to walk makes it very hard to actually do anything around here. Chase will box up my things for me in his free time."

"Neither of you have letters of recommendation from me," Cuddy said.

"I don't need one," House said. "Do you know how many hospitals and institutes bid for me when they found out I was available? Almost a hundred, and that was just through me saying I'm looking for a new job. That's something you've never understood, Cuddy. I have a reputation in the medical community, one that is better and worth more than anything you would have to say to them. Given that I'm not going back into the diagnostic or treatment community, I don't want or need a letter from you, especially not one saying how horrible I am at treating patients."

She leaned back in her chair. "Fine, you think you can survive on your own massive ego, then go and try it, but Chase will need letters."

"I have them," Chase said. "The head of the emergency department here was happy to write me a letter, as was my supervisor. Cameron is willing to be a reference should I need one. I think I have my bases covered almost as well as House does. Are we done here? He has an appointment with the CAT scan."

"Bye," House said, waving as Chase turned the chair around and headed out of the office. "Bobby, I think you're spending too much time with me. That was almost snarky."

Chase grinned. "It was kind of fun, actually," he said. "I'll box up some things while you're having your scans done. The moving company is going to come late next week and start boxing things up for us and they'll store things until we find a place to live."

"You're thriving on the organization of all of this, aren't you?" House asked.

"I like making sure everything is taken care of," Chase replied with a smile. "Okay, here you are. Behave and don't terrorize them too much. You need to know if there's more damage in there or not. I'm still worried about your pain levels."

"As long as they don't bump me again, I'll be good," House said.

"Let him move the leg, Rebecca," Chase said, catching sight of a nurse he knew. "He'll also want to review the films when he's done."

"We're ready for him," she smiled. "Dr. House, do you need help onto the bench, or can you make it on your own?"

"I'll get him up there," Chase said. "He should be able to get down on his own, I've got some stuff to get in the office, but I'll try to be back before you guys are done."

"Sounds good," Rebecca said. "We'll start as soon as you're ready, Dr. House."

"Oh, joy," House muttered as Chase helped him up.  
***

Chase was able to get most of House's things in the boxes he'd brought with him and out into his car before House was finished in the CAT scans. He wouldn't admit it, but he was really worried that House would have to have surgery on the leg again because of the fall. Chase packed the final box for the day in his car and headed back to pick up his lover before House traumatized the nurses too badly. "Hey."

"Come look at this," House said, pointing at one of the films. "I think that's a tear in the muscle underlying the scar tissue in my leg."

"It's possible, you landed quite hard," Chase said, leaning in to look over House's shoulder. "You might be right, but it's not big enough to operate on. I think you're just going to have to heal up in your own time, and that means more scar tissue could form there. We might have to start some gentle stretches so you don't lose more mobility."

"Great," House grumbled, "just what I wanted. There's no other obvious damage, but there's a shadow on the bone that worries me. I'm going to want to re-scan in two weeks and see what's there."

"Easy enough, we can scan before we leave," Chase said. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, send copies of these to Dr. Cuddy and make sure my patient file is updated," House said.

Chase glanced at Rebecca, who nodded. "I'll take care of it for you," she said. "He was very nice to everyone today, Dr. Chase. I thought you'd like to know that."

"Now I know he is sick," Chase joked. "All right, let's get you home and back to bed, Greg."

"I could use a nap," House admitted.

"All right, you nap and I'll work on getting us ready to move," Chase said.


	10. Chapter 10

"House, can I talk to you for a minute?" Wilson asked, shutting the door behind him. House was at a computer looking over his most recent CAT scan results. 

"What, Wilson?"

"I just want to make sure you're not moving because of me," Wilson said, sitting down next to House. "Because of something I said or did."

House snorted and zoomed in on a portion of the scan. "Please, I have more pride than to let rejection like that, no matter how mean it is, drive me away from a job," he said. "I'm leaving for my own reasons and Chase is leaving because he loves me and wants to stay with me."

"What, exactly are you looking for on here?" Wilson asked.

"Making sure I'm okay to fly," House replied. He looked back at the nurse. "Rebecca, will you make sure copies of these get to Cuddy and into my patient file? I've got a request in for Chase to get a copy of it before we leave."

"Sure thing, Dr. House," Rebecca said. "Is that shadow you were worried about gone?"

"Yeah, I might have moved during the last scan and not realized it," House said. He pushed his wheelchair back and headed out the door towards the lobby to meet up with his lover. "What now, Wilson?"

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Wilson asked. "I've never heard you be so nice to anyone around here before."

"I'm fine," House said. "Ah, last time walking out these doors. It'll be nice to get away from here."

Wilson sighed. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"France," House replied. "Bobby, do you have everything?"

"Yep," Chase grinned. "I'll come by in the morning to get your patient file and then we're ready to go. Wilson."

"Chase. Take care of him," Wilson said. "I'm still sorry for screwing up your birthday so badly, House."

House snorted. "Birthdays are supposed to suck," he said. "I thought everyone knew that." He shifted carefully into Chase's car and shut the door before Wilson could reply.

"He looks like a lost puppy again," Chase commented as they headed back towards their apartment.

"That's his problem, I'm not going to make nice just because he's feeling guilty," House said. "What time are the movers coming tomorrow?"

"Midday," Chase said. "Have you spoken with the estate agent recently?"

"Yeah, she's got five houses that she thinks fit what we're looking for, so we just have to let her know when we get into town," House said. "She sounded excited to show them to us."

"I've got our paperwork sorted," Chase said. "I think that's everything, Greg."

House glanced over at his lover. "You're enjoying this."

"It's a new adventure," Chase grinned. "This time I'm not alone and I think that makes it even better."


	11. Chapter 11

Two months later.....

 

House found Chase out on the patio behind their house staring down at the ocean. Part of him still couldn't believe that Chase would give up everything in the states to move overseas with him, but House was finally starting to realize exactly how much his lover did love him. "Hey."

"Hey, how's your leg?" Chase asked, turning with a smile.

"I'll need the cane when we go out, but around the house isn't bad," House replied. "I can't believe how much of a difference the moist heat makes. How did I get so lucky to have a smart and sexy boyfriend?"

"Just lucky, I suppose," Chase said. He thought it was less the atmosphere and more the pain killers House and the research team at the labs were testing. Still, he couldn't complain too much given there was less chance of organ damage with the new pills that House was taking, even if he wasn't fond of his lover being a test subject. "Why are we going out tonight?"

"For your birthday," House said, sounding more like himself. "Don't tell me you forgot it's today."

"I hadn't, I'm just a little surprised you remembered," Chase said, wrapping an arm around House's waist. "Do I even want to know what you have planned?"

House smiled. "It involves your favorite beach and a picnic," he said. "Even if I hate my own birthday, I reserve the right to spoil you rotten on yours."

Chase laughed and leaned in and kissed House softly. "Then I reserve the same for yours," he said. "I'll even put up with you grinching about it the whole time."

"Now that is true love," House said. "I heard from Wilson today."

"Yeah, what'd he say?"

"The usual, he's sorry for what he said to me and hopes I can forgive him some day," House said. He pulled away from Chase and sat down in his chair. "I've tried to tell him that I already do forgive him, but he's not listening to me. It's annoying."

"Who knows what's going on in his mind," Chase said, sitting down next to his lover. "I'm just glad to be away from there, honestly. This is so much nicer."

"It is, isn't it?" House asked with a grin.


End file.
